An Inflection Point for the Army’s Information Operations Officers
Abstract:
The U.S. Army’s information operations (IO) community stands at a critical strategic crossroad that will shape its trajectory over the coming decade. With the release of Army Doctrine Publication 3-13, Information, the Army risks repeating a long-standing doctrinal error by continuing to define IO officers primarily as “synchronizers” and “integrators” of information capabilities and organizations in support of lethal operations. This narrow framing marginalizes the broader non-lethal potential of IO in joint and combined environments. The paper argues that IO practitioners should instead be conceptualized primarily as deception officers, central to the conduct of influence and information warfare.
AUTHORS
Department of Defense United States Army
Major Peter Wilcox is a currently a soldier in the United States Army. He is an information operations officer with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He received an MA from the University of Oklahoma and an MS in Information Strategy and Political Warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Published In
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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